NICOLE + SEAN

It was a cold November Friday night at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Sean and his classmates had just finished working dinner service at Ra.Me. They headed towards their cozy townhouse to hang out. When it was winding down and Sean was getting ready to leave, there she was. “She was standing by the door, staring at us with beautiful brown eyes and curly hair; wearing a soft basil green sweater and light caramel brown slacks. She stole my heart ever since that moment. I sat back down with the hopes of getting to know her better. Her name was Nicole Carey from St. Louis, MO, and she was in the wine concentration. She had this amazing laugh that just made my heart smile every time I heard it. I knew I had to make her mine.”
The rest of the night consisted of the two laughing at each other’s jokes. No one else thought they were funny, but it didn’t matter.  They were happy.
The next time they met was November 18, 2017. Sean was at the gym when there she was again. Nicole was barely breaking a sweat after her usual four-mile run when she walked up and asked, “Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?” Sean was completely stunned.
Needless to say, their first date was a success. After they both graduated, the two moved to Dallas, then Chicago, and currently work seasonally in Wise River, MT. “We have a beautiful, happy life, our fur baby, Frank Sinatra included. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was only a matter of time until I turned my “date” from that first night into my “forever mate”…”

A year later on November 22, 2018 Sean asked Nicole’s father for his blessing on Thanksgiving, his favorite holiday. Once he shook his hand and gave him a huge hug welcoming him to the family, Sean started planning the greatest proposal he could.  “Nicole has two best friends living overseas. One in Argentina, and the other in Spain. I wanted to fly them out along with her best friend from St.Louis to make our special moment even more memorable. It was tough predicting the time frame of the foliage and the weather one year in advance but I had faith it will play out exactly as I planned it. We were living in Texas at the time and my sister, Katie, who lives in NJ, gave me the idea of a secret plan. She recommended we try to convince Nicole to have us come up to New York, where the proposal site would take place. It was close to my brother-in-law’s birthday and we told Nicole that she had planned a surprise party for him. She had already bought the plane tickets, made the reservations, and planned the surprise; so all we had to do was get up there. She did leave one day free for us to spend however we chose, leading us to the actual plan. Nicole was sold! In the meantime, we picked out and purchased the most gorgeous diamond ring from Kim’s Jewelry in New York. I was very fortunate to have my whole family involved in this process. First, my brother-in-law provided me with a connection to the owner. Secondly, with me being in Texas and the shop being in New York, I couldn’t physically see the diamonds. My sister helped out from picking out the perfect diamond to designing the most elegant ring made for Nicole. Lastly, my mom made it possible for me to propose with a ring we could have only dreamt of with her generous contribution. Fast forward to October 17, 2019, the day of the proposal. My mom, uncle, Nicole, and I arrived at my sister’s place the night before. Nicole and I left the next day and took an Amtrak from Penn Station to Poughkeepsie. The train ride couldn’t have been more beautiful. We get to the Vanderbilt Mansion and by this time, the girls are in position ready for the photographer’s cue. It had been raining all morning and afternoon but during that hour, around sunset, it stopped and a little ray of sunshine started to peek out of the clouds. We walked towards the bench next to the Vanderbilt Overlook and a “random photographer” offers to take our pictures. She tells us she is shooting for the Hudson Valley Magazine. She even had me convinced. I held both of her hands and said, “Nicole Sara Carey, I have loved you for three years and I’m ready to love you for a thousand years more. You make me want to commit to something more than life, which is our Love. I want to be not only a business partner with you but a partner in life.” Then I got down on one knee and said, “Will you marry me?” She said yes and began to cry. The photographer cued the girls to come out and Nicole started bawling and couldn’t believe her eyes. It was truly a magical moment. So relieved to have every single part of my plan successfully come to life and reminded myself that with enough faith, anything is possible”.

Later that evening, they went to The Bocuse Restaurant at The Culinary Institute of America where the two first met and had an amazing dinner catching up with everyone. But Sean still had one more surprise up his sleeve. “The next day, we went to Manhattan with plans to eat around the city until we burst. For dinner, we arrived at Jean-George, where I used to work. After checking in, we head over to the bar, and sitting there is Nicole’s mom and dad. All of the girls got emotional seeing them there. Yet another successful surprise. The next day, we all went back to my sisters’ place and I cooked Steak au Poivre; Mr. Carey’s favorite steak. We had a lovely family gathering for the first time as a newly engaged couple. We continued to have the best weekend with everyone having a culinary journey through New York, eating Neapolitan pizza at Inatteso Pizza Bar and tonkotsu ramen at Ichiran. We had the import mix sandwich at Rossi’s and a matcha crepe cake at Lady M. Lox and bagels at Russ and Daughters, and lobster rolls at Luke’s Lobster. Hojicha latte at Blue Bottle and a fat porterhouse steak at Carmine’s and last but not least a proper NY hot dog at a Hot Dog Stand. I couldn’t have asked for more. Everything from the girls arriving safely and on time to the last-minute adjustment of the weather during the proposal. The whole trip couldn’t have gone better. Truly blessed and humbled to have shared these moments together.”

Their wedding on 11/11/2022 took place at the Ritz Carlton St.Louis in the Solarium. Sean happened upon an article one evening while the two were reading about wedding venues in St. Louis. It was perfect and they could look no further! “We loved the rustic yet elegant feel of the space. Very open, natural light and brick walls and greenery.” Sean’s goal for the day was not to cry uncontrollably and Nicole’s was to take in every passing moment. They combined both their religions and cultures into the wedding with some Jewish traditions, Christian traditions, and a Korean ceremony to top it off!  Enjoy a look at Nicole and Sean’s day!

• Recessional song forever by Chris Brown. It is a song that plays in the wedding scene of our favorite show. First Dance Song: Then by Brad Paisley. “My husband likes to sing that to me during our frequent long road trips.” 

Advice for future bride/grooms?: Absolutely do not stress over the small things. When the day comes, none of it will matter but to have your loved one next to you sharing in an incredible life-changing moment.

Honeymoon Location: 1.5 month trip to Korea & Japan!!!

Looking most forward to: Waking up to him each morning knowing that he’s mine for the rest of my life.